Ohhhh Emma Lu

Emma was my easy baby. She was chilled out, relaxed, patient, well behaved and only got up 2 times a night from the day we brought her home. She was potty trained at 2. She travels well in the car. She listenED. And then she turned 4. The ease has diminished. She has become sassy, naughty, whiny (whinier than normal) and can just about get under my every nerve. She is horrible to her sister at every opportunity. But yet unlike her sister, SHE will actually take a time out. When she's naughty and I say "Go to your room" the most amazing thing happens ... SHE GOES. Maggie never did, she still won't. But at the end of the day, when my babes are sound asleep I go in and look at them and I see the exact same faces that I was introduced to the time each of them was first placed into my arms. They care calm, silent and serene and no matter how naughty they get they are my life.

So, having said that, 2 nights ago the kids were running through the sprinkler. I'm sitting on my porch in the 90 degree heat drinking my Land Shark which by the way MADE MY DAY when I get a text message from the neighbor across the street. It said "What's up with the helmet?" You see, my Emma wears her helmet often. In this case, it was to run through the sprinkler. As moments when by I realized that my neighborhood was watching my kid run through the sprinkler in her helmet and glory while Mama sat drinkin' a beer. NICE! I knew that this was the case when my other neighbor, darling Adam the photographer, comes running out with his camera. I swear he knows when the helmet comes out and that he knows because I'm pretty sure that if you went to his website you'd see a complete portfolio of Emma in her helmet. Well, at least she'll be safe!